News

Henry K. Lee, San Francisco Chronicle, April 29, 201404-29 1344 PDT VALLEJO -- Vallejo police wrongfully shot and killed a naked autistic man in front of his house in 2012, according to a federal civilrights lawsuit filed Tuesday by his parents. Jeremiah Moore, 29, was shot on Oct. 21, 2012, after a bizarre rampage during which neighbors said he and his partner, Jason Jessie, ran around naked, broke windows and tried to burn down their home on Alameda Street. ... Police said Moore placed the barrel of a rifle against an officer's stomach, and that another officer responded by shooting Moore. But in a suit filed in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, Moore's parents, Eugene and Lisa Moore, said their son "had no weapon in his hands and posed no significant or immediate threat of death or seriously bodily harm." The complaint said Jeremiah Moore suffered from an autism spectrum disorder "which caused him to move his hands and arms when he was nervous."The family's attorney, Michael Haddad said, "The police knew he was disabled andor emotionally disturbed, but chose to escalate the situation. Whenshot, Jeremiah was naked, standing outdoors - not inside his house as police claimed - with nothing in his hands."